Snap, owner of the video messaging app Snapchat, has partnered with the Louvre on a free program called Egypt Augmented, which will give users an interactive deep dive into the museum’s renowned Egyptian treasures using augmented reality (A.R.).
The experience, designed by Snap’s own A.R. Studio, leverages the technology to bring iconic works like the Chamber of Ancestors and the Dendera Zodiac to life in dynamic ways. Viewers scan the QR codes posted near the chosen artworks, open up Snapchat’s camera, and see these ancient artworks in a new light. The technology will virtually restore faded paint, revealing “shapes, materials, colors, and decorations” of selected works that have faded to bare stone over the years, according to the press release.